After everything that has been posted (thanks to all) I think we can all agree...

WE NEED MORE POWER!

I distinctly disagree.although it should have been obvious that running any electronic component at 100% could cause a malfunction [that combined load and power use would have seriously if not critically taxed the PSU of any receiver] why not look at the other factors affecting the 'problem' such as distance rather than trying to compensate with power? you have to remember that in adding more power, speakers will come to their physical excursion limits which still may not produce the sound pressure levels that you would like to have 60 ft. away from your stereo system.

possibly what you need are either much larger speakers like those designed for rock concerts, or move closer to your stereo!

along that same line of thinking, move part of the system closer to you.I don't understand why you have to be 60 ft. away to listen to sound pressure levels from four speakers when you can move half of them closer. Take your second set of speakers, move them closer, and only run one pair at a time off of the receiver depending on where you are in the room.

I have to agree with the limited comments here made about listening levels. the sound pressure level from four speakers playing that loudly can severely damage one's hearing

Holy Crap! My dad is a member of the Axiom Forums too! lol jk

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One day your life may flash before your eyes,try to make it worth watching

I hate to be preached to as well. My wife has quickly learned that asking me to do something more than once is more likely to extend my procrastination than shorten it. That being said, there are certain scientific facts that can't be ignored.

The time periods vary slightly depending on where you get your data, but the ballpark remains the same. Hearing loss is guaranteed to occur from prolonged exposure and it doesn't take long to add up at high levels.

For anyone who is interested, here are some numbers from a couple of sources. As you can see, some sources are more stringent than others but "beer crushing levels" (luv that term) would rate dangerously high on any scale.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)85 dB and higher - prolonged exposure will result in hearing loss90 dBA - no more than 8 hours per day (examples - lawn mower, truck traffic, hair dryer)95 dBA - no more than 4 hours per day100 dBA - no more than 2 hours per day (example - chain saw)105 dBA - no more than 1 hour per day110 dBA - no more than ½ hour per day115 dBA - no more than ¼ hour per day (preferably less)140 dBA - NO EXPOSURE TO IMPACT OR IMPULSE NOISE ABOVE THIS LEVEL (examples - gunshot blast, jet plane at takeoff)

I forgot to say that, in the end, I respect your choice to do what ever you wish. I mention it more in hopes that you might consider the effects on your guests, especially small children who might not be aware of the risks..

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With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.

No worries, no tubes blown here. I hate being preachy but I have a good friend who has a very enjoyable and rewarding career counseling the deaf. He has even met his fiance this way. The only unfortunate part is that his career choice was 100% due from his music listening habits as a teen.

I didn't share this in my other posts because then it sounds even more preachy than I intended.

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With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.

I had found this interesting when it came out 2-3 years ago (http://www.shape.bc.ca/resources/pdf/noisehearinglossmusicians.pdf).It is a nice summary plus, for those interested, it points to a large number of other researches (I can't remember which one had a very comprehensive discussion of how dynamics helps and the increased problems caused by the "db war" in popular music).